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The Belokomitai were also with them as allies; taking them with him he attacks Belokome, which was empty of its inhabitants, and takes it by storm, 415 and kills some, while he himself, finding immense wealth, is enriched, and secures for himself pledges of his safety from the fortifications. Prousa also suffered from these terrible things, being the only one of the external beauties left. Pegai, a coastal city, also experienced these hardships. For when all those outside were shut up within, as many as had escaped the sword, the crowding together with famine and hardship bred a pestilential disease. And still by the disease they were falling by the hundreds. And a fine was imposed on them by the emperor, a penalty of thousands, on the charge of not having received the megas doux, as the emperor Michael had announced after his return from there, and for fear that they too might suffer the things that had happened to the Cyzicenes. For the things dared there were reported to be neither tolerable nor even possible to endure. For livelihoods were being seized, women were being violated, and maidens were being corrupted. And the one who had was immediately plundered, considering it a blessing if by giving he could be saved; but the one who had not was condemned on the suspicion of having, and was tested with terrible suspensions and tortures, bearing the charge of not being willing to provide for his 416 safety with money. And all their property seemed to belong not so much to its owner as to the Amogavar who had seized it; for so the nation was specifically named, being descended, I think, from the Avars. And not only the natives suffered these things, but, so to speak, the whole East of the Romans, because using the fortress as a refuge, they all fled down there, and there was a new sort of capture by their own people for those fleeing from the enemy. I omit the mutilations of bodies and the murders and the otherwise heap of pollutions, with which those who had come to defend them afflicted the wretched people besieged in the towers with every cruelty. For their leader, on the one hand wanting to court them as having entrusted the command to him, and on the other hand fearing danger from them, if, when he had found enough for their needs, they fell short of their expectations, was in no way able to restrain them, but gave in to them to do as they pleased, and this even though they were satisfied with the rations from the emperor, and even if they were achieving nothing more 417 nor doing anything at all. But the account must be taken up again for clarity. Maroules was general here, and by his office was renowned as megas archon. He for the most part paid attention to him and served him in a subordinate role (for so the imperial order also wished), but for the time being he also pitied his own people who were suffering badly at their hands, or rather, he even supported and cherished them. For that common terror touched them too, and they rendered soldiers who were still on the rolls and in truth experienced in war into unarmed infantry, and they deprived them of their household goods as if they were some peasants and vagrants, behaving insolently towards them. But they, holding back in fear of the ruler and because of the perceived danger from civil wars, so that no incurable innovation might occur, for the time being were violently agitated and often struggled in their defense. Finally, when the enemy was announced to be near at the tower of Gouliemos, 418 the ones from all sides together with their general Maroules did not hesitate to go to close quarters with the enemy, but the others gave hope that they would appear and be allies, but nevertheless they did not forget their usual ways; for they armed themselves slowly, and barely adorned their horses, and they were careful for their own safety, as it appeared. And their slowness allowed the first group, while they were midway on the road, to win the battle by themselves. And as the one group was late and the other, having succeeded, was returning, here one saw the malevolence of the allies, and that they were behaving not as friends, as was fitting, but as enemies towards our men. For the successful ones meet them on their return, and when it was necessary to reproach them for their slackness and neglect, they instead also experienced terrible things, and realized they had attacked their own as if they were other enemies. And their cleverness in the attempt was, as it showed, to gain the spoils from these men. And the one who yielded, giving what came from the war

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συνῆσαν σφίσι κατὰ συμμαχίαν καὶ Βηλοκωμῖται, προσλαβὼν ἐκείνους κενῇ τῶν ἐποίκων Βηλοκώμῃ προσβάλλει καὶ κατὰ κρά 415 τος αἱρεῖ, καὶ τοὺς μὲν κτείνει, αὐτὸς δὲ μυρίον πλοῦτον εὑρὼν ἐξολβίζεται, καὶ τὰ πιστά οἱ τῆς ἀσφαλείας ἐκ τῶν ὀχυρωμάτων περιποιεῖ. τούτων ἀπώνατο τῶν δεινῶν καὶ Προῦσα, μόνη πε ριλειφθεῖσα τῶν ἔξωθεν καλλονῶν. τούτων καὶ Πηγαὶ παραθα λασσία πόλις τῶν δυσχερῶν ἐπειράθη. τῶν γὰρ ἔξω πάντων συγκλεισθέντων ἐντός, ὅσοι καὶ τὸ ξίφος ἔφυγον, ἐντίκτει νόσον λοιμώδη τὸ συνεπτύχθαι λιμῷ καὶ κακοπαθείαις. ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῇ νόσῳ ἐς ἑκατοστύας ἔπιπτον. τοῖς δὲ καὶ πρόστιμον ἐτέθη παρὰ βασιλέως ζημίας εἰς χιλιάδας ἐπ' αἰτίᾳ τοῦ μὴ τὸν μέγαν δέξα σθαι δοῦκα, οὕτω τοῦ βασιλέως Μιχαὴλ μετὰ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἐπά νοδον ἐπαγγείλαντος, καὶ δέει τοῦ μὴ παθεῖν κἀκείνους τὰ τοῖς Κυζικηνοῖς ξυμβάντα. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀνεκτὰ οὐδ' ὅσον καὶ ὑποσχεῖν δυνατὰ τἀκεῖ τολμηθέντα ἠγγέλλοντο. βίοι γὰρ ἡρπάζοντο καὶ γυναῖκες ὑβρίζοντο καὶ κόρια διεφθείροντο. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἔχων εὐ θὺς ἐσκυλεύετο, ἀγαπητὸν ἔχων εἰ διδοὺς σώζοιτο· ὁ δὲ μὴ ἔχων τῇ τοῦ ἔχειν ὑποψίᾳ κατεδικάζετο, καὶ αἰώραις δειναῖς καὶ βα σάνοις ἠτάζετο, ἔγκλημα φέρων τὸ μὴ χρημάτων θέλειν τὴν σω 416 τηρίαν πορίζεσθαι. πᾶσα δ' ἐκείνων περιουσία οὐ μᾶλλον τοῦ κεκτημένου ἢ τοῦ καταλαβόντος τῶν Ἀμογαβάρων ἐφαίνετο· οὕτω γὰρ ἰδιωνυμεῖτο τὸ ἔθνος, τῷ ἐξ Ἀβάρων, οἶμαι, κατά γεσθαι. οὐ μόνον δ' αὐτόχθονες ταῦτ' ἔπασχον, ἀλλ' ὡς εἰπεῖν ἀνατολὴ πᾶσα Ῥωμαίων, ὅτι καὶ ὡς προσφυγίῳ χρησάμενοι τῷ ἐπιτειχίσματι πάντες ἐκεῖ κατέδραμον, καὶ καινή τις ἅλωσις ἦν παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων τοῖς ἀπ' ἐχθρῶν φεύγουσιν. ἐῶ σωμάτων ἀκρωτηριασμοὺς καὶ φόνους καὶ μιασμάτων φορυτὸν ἄλλως, οἷς οἱ ἀμύνειν ἐπιστάντες τοὺς ἀθλίους πυργηρουμένους ἐκ πάσης περιέβαλον ἀπηνείας. ὁ γὰρ σφᾶς ἄγων, τὸ μὲν προσθεραπεύειν θέλων ἐκείνους ὡς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐκείνῳ πεπιστευκότας, τὸ δὲ δεδιὼς τὸν παρ' αὐτῶν κίνδυνον, εἰ αὐτοῦ ἱκανῶς τὰ κατὰ χρείαν εὑ ρόντος ὑστέρησαν ἐκεῖνοι τῶν ἠλπισμένων, οὐδ' ὁπωσοῦν ἀνα στέλλειν εἶχεν, ἀλλ' ἐνεδίδου σφίσι τὰ κατὰ νοῦν πράττειν, καὶ ταῦθ' ἱκανουμένοις καὶ τοῖς ἐκ βασιλέως σιτηρεσίοις, κἂν οὐδὲν 417 ἔτι κατώρθουν οὐδ' ὅλως ἔπραττον. ἀλλ' ἀναληπτέον τὸν λό γον πρὸς τὸ εὐσύνοπτον. Στρατηγὸς ἦν τῇδε Μαρούλης, καὶ μέγας ἄρχων ἐξ ἀξιώ ματος ἐκλεΐζετο. οὗτος τὰ μὲν πλεῖστα ἐκείνῳ προσεῖχε καὶ ἐθε ράπευεν ὑποκείμενος (οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τὸ βασιλικὸν ἐβούλετο πρόσ ταγμα), τέως δ' οὖν καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους κακῶς παρ' ἐκείνων πά σχοντας κατῳκτίζετο, μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ συνίστα καὶ περιέθαλ πεν. ἧπτο γὰρ κἀκείνων τὸ κοινὸν ἐκεῖνο δεινόν, καὶ εἰς στρα τιώτας τεταγμένους ἔτι καὶ ταῖς ἀληθείαις ἐμπειροπολέμους πε ζοὺς καὶ ἀνόπλους καθίστων καὶ τῶν κατ' οἶκον ἐστέρουν ὡς εἴ τινας ἀγρότας καὶ μετανάστας, ἐνθρυπτόμενοι σφίσιν. οἱ δὲ τῷ τοῦ κρατοῦντος δέει καὶ τῷ ἐξ ἐμφυλίων πολέμων νομιζομένῳ κινδύνῳ ὑποστελλόμενοι, ὡς μή τι νεωτερισθείη τῶν ἀνηκέστων, τέως ἐκ βίας ὥρμων καὶ πολλάκις ἐσφάδαζον ἀμυνούμενοι. τέλος τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐγγὺς ἀγγελθέντων κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Γουλιέλμου πύργον, 418 οἱ μὲν ἁπαντόθεν συνάμα τῷ σφῶν στρατηγῷ τῷ Μαρούλῃ χω ρεῖν οὐκ ἀπώκνουν ὁμόσε τοῖς πολεμίοις, οἱ δ' ἐλπισμὸν μὲν πα ρεῖχον φανῆναι καὶ συμμαχεῖν, ἀλλὰ τῶν συνήθων οὔμενουν οὐκ ἐλήθοντο· βραδέως γὰρ ἐζώννυντο, καὶ μόλις ἐκόσμουν τοὺς ἵππους, καὶ προμηθεῖς ἦσαν τοῦ ἀκινδύνου σφίσιν, ὡς φαίνε σθαι. καὶ τὸ βράδος ἐδίδου μεσούντων αὐτῶν τὴν ὁδὸν κατορ θοῦν τοὺς προτέρους καὶ μόνους τὴν μάχην. ὡς δ' οἱ μὲν ὑστέ ρουν οἱ δὲ κατωρθωκότες ὑπέστρεφον, ἐνταῦθά τις εἶδε τὸ τῶν συμμάχων κακόηθες, καὶ ὅτι οὐχ ὡς φίλοις, ὡς εἰκὸς ἦν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐχθροῖς τοῖς ἡμετέροις προσεφέροντο. συνίασι γὰρ ἐξ ὑπο στροφῆς ἐκείνοις οἱ κατωρθωκότες, καὶ δέον ὀνειδίζειν σφίσι τὸ κατεβλακευμένον καὶ ἀμελές, οἱ δὲ καὶ δεινῶν ἐπειρῶντο, καὶ ὡς ἄλλοις πολεμίοις τοῖς ἰδίοις ἔγνωσαν προσβαλεῖν. ἦν δ' ἐκείνοις τὸ τῆς πείρας σοφόν, ὡς ἔδειξε, παρακερδαίνειν ἐκ τούτων τὰ λάφυρα. καὶ ὁ μὲν ὑπείκων διδοὺς τὸ ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου